© 2025 Hawaiʻi Public Radio
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Give to HPR and keep local support firmly rooted. The greater our local support, the greater our strength and resilience to serve you and future generations. Tap to get started.

Finding Pork in Massive Spending Bills

The 108th Congress has gathered for one final lame-duck session to wrap up a few loose ends -- intelligence reform and a $388 billion omnibus spending bill. The spending measure, initially approved last month, is back under consideration due to an outcry over a provision giving legislators access to Americans' tax returns. The bill also includes 11,000 other measures, pork-barrel projects that allow representatives and senators to pump money into their districts.

Guests:

NPR's Ron Elving, senior Washington editor

Allan Hammons, executive director of the BB King Museum Foundation in Indianola, Miss.; the museum was awarded $1 million in the 2005 spending bill

Andy Taylor, senior writer, Congressional Quarterly

Tom Schatz president, Citizens Against Government Waste

Rep. Jose Serrano, minority Member on House Appropriations Committee; Democrat from New York

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Related Stories